Raising serious doubts about Chief Minister^Òs concern about the lives of the people on fast for the last 24 days, police have heavily cracked down the dharna place and arrested senior activist Alok Agarwal, Jagdish Patidar, Banabai, Maan dam affected Bondribai, Govidnbhai and Chander Singh and about 250 people. Chittaroopa Palit, Ramkuvar, Vinod Patwa and Mangat Verma, who are on fast, continue to be underground and on fast.

Had the Chief Minister been serious about the lives of the people on fast and on an early and peaceful settlement to the ongoing agitation in Bhopal since the last one-month, he would have discussed the matters with the Narmada Bachao Andolan. Instead he resorted to a fascist and inhuman way by putting all the people who were on a peaceful dharna (sit-in) behind bars.

The most hilarious of his actions is clamping section 309 of IPC, which is abetting to suicide, on Mr.Alok Agarwal. He is currently in the hospital for medical check-ups (!!) and will be later taken to the Central Jail, where most of the others are put in, according to a reliable source.

It was because the first official action by the government, which happened on the 23rd day, was an attempt to arrest all the ones who are on fast and not to address the issues raised by them, that the four activists who were on fast had to go underground to continue the fast. To put the blame on other activists for the state of affairs is washing off his (Chief Minister) own responsibility. As NBA has earlier said the government will be solely responsible for any untoward happens to the fasting activists.

The condition of the fasting people have further deteriorated today. Ramkuvar, 22 year old tribal girl from the first submergence village, Khedi, has recorded a critically high acetone rate of 4+ today, while Chittaroopa Palit^Òs is 3+.

In an attempt to put an end to the agitation, police have dismantled the tent and all the materials are left in the open.

NBA strongly condemn this undemocratic, fascist action and the criminal callousness of the state towards the lives of the people on fast and those who will get submerged in this coming monsoon. NBA demands that all the people who are arrested should be unconditionally released and all false cases withdrawn. We further wish to reiterate that the only solution for this impasse is to immediately hold a dialogue with the people and ensure that every affected person is allocated the required land as per the rehabilitation policy of the state before the impeding monsoon.


Joe Athialy